August m



(No Model.)

A. M. GUSTAFSON. GAR GOUPLING.

Patented Sept. 14,1897.

t 0 2. 3 E-C l? TF -ff o wl w if Waff. 1f. 1e TL l F1? l .UYESSESS' NVE/WWE d?. gm@ ya ffuzgfomfzx UNITED STATES PATENTl Finca.

AUGIIS'I lll. GUSIAFSON, OF GILE, IVISOONSIN, ASSIGITOROF ONE-HALF TO ANDREV NELSON, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589,828, dated September 14, 1897.

Application led February 1l, 189 7. Serial No. 622,983. (No model.)

To all whom. it nfl/ty concern: is slidingly inserted in the notches Kin the Beit known that I, AUGUST M. GUSTAFSON, lower edge of the cross-walls D, E, and F and' acitizen of the United States, residing at Gile, retained in said notches by the supportingin the county of Iron and State of Wisconsin, strips L. The draw-bar J is near its middle 55 5 have invented certain new and useful Improvided witha joint M, so that its front end, provements in Oar-Couplings; and I do dewhich is of the hook shape shown, may swing claire the following to be a full, clear, and eX- in the horizontal plane in the elongated notch act description of the invention, such as will K in the front wall F. enable others skilled in the art to which it N is a rigid pin against which the front sec- 6o ro appertains to make and use the same, refertion of the draw-bar J is normally held by ence being had to the accompanying drawthe fiat spring O, secured at P. The rear secings, and to the letters of reference marked tion of the lower draw-bar is formed with an thereon, which forni a part of this speciticaupwardly-projecting wing Q, through which tion. passes the rod R, extending rearwardly from 65 i5` My invention relates to improvements in the downwardly-projectingwingS,formed on carcouplings,and has for its object to provide the rear end of the upper draw-bar II. a durable, safe, and convenient coupling for T is a coil-spring interposed between thc railway-cars in general. I attain this object wings Q and S and encircling the rod R. by the novel construction and arrangement Upon the end of the car I secure a bracket 7o zo of Aparts illustrated in the accompanying V, provided with a V-shapcd notch W, into drawings, in whichl which may be sprung the end ci' the hand- Figure 1 is a top or plan view of a portion lever X,which is pivoted atYto the bracket V. of a box-car provided with my' new coupling. Z is a chain connecting the coupling-hook Fig. 2 is a bottoni view of the coupling alone. U with the short side arm h of the lever X. 75 2 5 Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional side view, as To the chain Z is also attached the horizonon the line a a in Fig. 2, but with the couptally-swinging arm c, secured on the rocking ling in its proper position top side up. Fig. rod d, which extends through the bearings e 4f is a front end view of the coupling with the to the top of the car, where it is provided draw-bars removed. Fig. 5 is a side elevawith a swinging hand-leverf, adapted to be 8o 3o tion of Fig. '1, and Fig. 6 is an end view of sprung into a V-shaped notch g2 in the top of Fig. 5 with the upper draw-bar in section on kthe bracket g, secured to the roof of the car. the line CZ CZ and the lower draw-bar in section In operation when two cars are moved t0- on the line b l). gether to be coupled the draw-heads I serve The'parts of the coupling secured upon the as bumpers, and after the springs T are'com- 85 3, 5 adjacent ends of two cars are so exactly alike pressed the hooks U slip over each other and that a description of those on the end of one interlock, or if one of lthe cars have only the car will answer also for those on any other link-and-pin coupling then the link is inend of a car provided with my coupling. serted in the draw-head I and the usual coup- In the drawings, A designates a box-car, in ling-pin go dropped in. 9o

4o the end of which is secured the frame or box It' the hooks U are used, the spring T serves B, formed of the two side walls O and the as a cushion to pull against, whereby the cross-partitions D, E, and F. In the upper much-desired yielding connection between edge of the transverse walls E and F, I prorailway-cars is obtained. vide the notches G, in which slides the upper The coupling and unconpling Vof the hooks 95 45 draw-bar H, the front end of which is of the U may be effected from the top of the car by usual shape for receiving the old and wellforcing the hand-lever f out of or into the known link and pin in case of coupling with notch g2 in the bracket g, thereby operating a car having said old style of coupling. The the rod d, arm. c, chain Z, and swinging the draw-head I projects, however, upward above hook U, or from the side ci' the car by swingloo 5o the draw-har, but not below it, and is thus ing the lever X out of or into the notch XV in out of the way fora second draw-bar J ,which the bracket VA. Then either one of the le- Vers X and fis swung into its retaining-notch, the hook U is thereby held back from engagement with the opposite hook, and when released from the notch the hook is free to engage the opposite hook. The two handlevers are so arranged that the operator may uncouple the hooks from the top of the car and couple them again from the side of the car, or vice versa. Further, it will be observed that the coupling-hook U projects both sidewise and is returned toward the car, so that when two of them engage each other they cannot become disengaged accidentally by the jarring of the cars.y This, together with the springs O and T, both of which tend to hold the hooks in engagement, combine to make my coupler extraordinarily safe againstr accidental uncoupling. Finally, the upper f and lower draw-bar enables one to usetwo extending to the top of the car and having its lower end provided with a horizontally-swing ing arm engaging the chain Z, and its uppcr end provided with a spring-lever adapted to be sprung into aV-shaped notch in a bracket, and the bracket g, secured upon the top of the car and having a V-shaped notch for hold- 'ing said lever when the hook U, is to stand disengaged ready for the cars to move apart, substantially as and for the purpose set'forth.

2. In a car-coupling the combination with the box or frame B, having the cross-walls D and E, of the draw-bar II, having the head I, adapted to receive the ordinary link and pin and having its rear end formed with a vertical iiange or win g and a spring guiding-rod eX- tending rearwardly therefrom, and the hookshaped, jointed draw-bar J ,having the upwardly-projecting wing Q, provided with a hole in which the guiding-rod R, of the upper draw-bar slides, and the spring T, interposed between the wings Q and S, of said draw-bars; saidwin gs being located between and buttin g against the transverse Walls D and E of the frame, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AUGUST M. GUSTAFSON.

W'itnesses G. linken, O. ADAMS. 

